Newbie attempting to install a solar panel

[RapidoSteve]

Hi you lovely helpful people. I have two leisure batteries in my Rapido V55 van. My question is do I just run the wires from the controller to the batteries? If so I presume the live goes to one and the negative to the other. I am sorry if this topic has been discussed before but I am very new here and having problems using the search function. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[David and Sally]

 

[Jev88]

Solar controller needs two wires from panel and two wires to battery as a minimum.

Connect battery Before solar so that controller sets to 12v as opposed to 24v etc...

MPPT branded controllers like Victron and Votronic give better performance than PWM and cheap generic fakes on fleabay.

 

[activecampers]

What controller? Read the manual. But typically, yes, connect to + and -, but exactly where depends on what you have, you may have shunts or fuse boards to go through. Fuse the controller (as you would for all wires). Some controllers need 12v before connecting solar else they can blow (read the manual). Panels connect to the controller - ensure panels are compatible with controller.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Hi you lovely helpful people. I have two leisure batteries in my Rapido V55 van. My question is do I just run the wires from the controller to the batteries? If so I presume the live goes to one and the negative to the other. I am sorry if this topic has been discussed before but I am very new here and having problems using the search function. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Yes that's the best way, to balance the batteries.

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[RapidoSteve]

Yes that's the best way, to balance the batteries.

I have ordered the complete kit from a company in Cornwall and should arrive by the end of the week. The live cable is fused so that’s a positive (pun intended) as for the instructions I shall probably read them at least half a dozen times. I was just really trying to get my head around having two leisure batteries as I can imagine the instructions will only mention one battery. Thank you for all the replies. It really is appreciated and so reassuring to know there is help out there .

 

[Lenny HB]

I was just really trying to get my head around having two leisure batteries as I can imagine the instructions will only mention one battery.

Two batteries es in parallel is just the same as one big battery. Just rest as one battery.

 

[Billybob56]

Plenty of help available on YouTube

 

[Tombola]

get my head around having two leisure batteries

in effect you will be creating 1 large battery when you have connected them together in parralel
so the solar wires willl be negative from one battery and positive from the other

 

[Whippet93]

when connecting two batteries, I think the advice is not to take cables from the + and - of the same battery to the load/charge. So connect battery 1 + and battery 2 - to the load/charger, to spread the load better across the two batteries.